Friday, 25 July 2008

The latest concern going around the mill is about the interpretation of the “me too” clause in the A4 Start-up Agreement. Local 592 Wage Delegates are maintaining that the “me too” clause to the 2008 Main Wage Agreement refers to the “pattern agreement” as negotiated by the Western Region Caucus. The pattern for the 2008 bargain is now in place with the Canfor locals ratifying the Memorandum of Agreement.

John Young and myself met with the Local 686 Executive to confirm a common understanding and that we will expect nothing less than the “pattern”. The Wage Delegates will meet with the company as soon as possible to discuss this issue.

We have been informed that Local 1119 (HSPLP) has reached a tentative agreement yesterday morning. I believe the main wage terms of the agreement are similar if not identical to that of Locals 603 and 1133 who reached a tentative agreement earlier in the week. This will now set the pattern for the remainder of the Pulp & Paper caucus to shoot for at their negotiations.

Monday, 7 July 2008

July 7, 2008Elk Falls pulp mill to close permanently in NovemberWe are announcing today the permanent closure of Elk Falls pulp and containerboard operations. The closure is expected to take effect on November 30, 2008 and will impact approximately 440 hourly and salaried employees.I know the division and everyone in our company has worked very hard to reduce costs and to find alternatives to a permanent shut. Lack of sawdust affects only our Elk Falls sawdust pulp production. And, it has become clear that with permanent sawmill closures and other uses diverting available sawdust supply, the Elk Falls pulp mill cannot be saved.We know this decision is significant for employees and their families in this community. We have discussed the severe challenges facing our industry with employees many times and we appreciate the effort people made to overcome these difficulties at this mill. Unfortunately, the pulp mill remains unprofitable and we hope you will understand that the mill and its jobs cannot be sustained in this situation.We also hope the notice period will give people sufficient time to plan for the future, and we will take steps to help you access assistance through the mill adjustment committee, Community Development Trust Fund and other community agencies in the weeks ahead.Today’s announcement highlights how important it is that employees, unions, companies and communities work together to overcome the economic barriers facing our sector.In the weeks ahead, we will do our best to keep you well-informed and we ask that you take special care to do your work safely and that you watch out for your coworkers during these trying times.Richard GarneauPresident and CEO

Friday, 4 July 2008

I have a little calendar widget in Vista that allows me to set up my shift schedule so I can see at a glance when I have 22 off in say 2021, (wait, I'll be long retired by then). One of the guys I worked with wanted me to bring the laptop in so he could look ahead a few years. I thought that there must be something online so I went looking.

The Shift Calendar Generator allows you to set up any schedule. To make things easier for you, simply enter the date of your first day back from 22 days off and then copy the following and paste it into the shift type box: 4,-4,4,-4,4,-4,4,-4,4,-4,4,-4,4,-4,4,-4,4,-22=off

Then pick the year or month and there you have it. I don't know how well it will print out and you need internet access to use it, but I'll keep looking for a little program or something that does the same thing. This allows you to look ahead and see what's happening in 2021.

I'll link to this post in the sidebar for easy access to the numbers and link.